Selective switch



55,, M36 D. HJGLEASON ET AL 9 9 SELECTIVE SWITCH Filed July 23, 1-955 I/VVEN TORS D. H GLEA 50W F: J. REDMQ/VQ .4 TTOR/VEY 6 Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES SELECTIVE SWITCH Daniel H. Gleason, Mountain Lakes, and Frederic J. Redmond, Arlington, N. J., assignors to Bell Telephone Laboratories,

Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 23', 1935, Serial No. 32,697

6 Claims.

This invention relates to selective switches and particularly to improvements in automatic switches for telephone systems.

The object is to improve the construction and operation of selective switches of the cross-bar type.

The invention is applicable to the horizontal bars of the general construction used in crossbar switches of the type disclosed in the Patent 2,021,329 to J. N. Reynolds of Nov. 19, 1935. In such switches the sets of horizontal and vertical bars are employed to actuate sets of contacts at the cross-points of the bars. A selecting finger is mounted on each horizontal bar at each point where said bar is crossed by a vertical bar and means is provided whereby when a horizontal bar is rotated, the selecting fingers thereon are moved in a position where if a vertical bar is operated, it will, due to the position of the corresponding selecting finger, cause the operation of one set of contacts to connect with another set of contacts at the cross-points of said two operated bars. The selecting fingers usually consist of wires attached to the horizontal bars by a coiled portion engaging a screw threaded stud riveted to the bar. These fingers must be individually adjusted to occupy positions where they will be properly acted upon when a selection is made by movements of the bars.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a horizontal bar for switches of this type having cut away portions to form individually adjustable elements for the mounting of the selecting fingers. These bars may be U-shaped in cross-section having rectangular prongs out out from the bottom portion of the bar and extending in their longitudinal directions in line with the axis of the bar. At the free end of each prong may be secured the usual screw threaded stud on which the coiled end of a finger is mounted. Thus by adjusting the position of each prong in two directions with respect to the bar each finger may be permanently located at its proper position.

The cut-out elements may be of other shapes such as for example a semi-circular cut-out may be made to produce a central portion for the stud with a shank connecting this portion with the bar. This shank may be turned or twisted in two directions to properly'adjust the finger.

The invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective over part of a bar in accordance with a preferred form of the appli- 5 cants invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of this bar taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a portion of a bar in perspective of another modified form of applicants invention;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the bar shown on, 5 Fig. 3 taken on line 44 Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front view of a bar showing another modified form of applicants invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a portion of the bar shown in Fig. 5; and, 10

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective View of a portion of a switch to which there has been shown a bar constructed in accordance with the form of the applicants invention as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. 5

Referring now to the preferred form of applicants invention as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the bar I is U-shaped in cross-section and the rectangular prong 2 has been cut out from the bottom portion of this U -shaped bar and bent slightly outwardly from this bottom portion. As shown prong 2 is rectangular in shape and is located in a longitudinal direction in parallel with the bottom portion of the bar. To this prong is secured a rivet 3 having a threaded portion extending in- 25 wardly between the two sides of the bar and on this threaded portion is secured a coiled portion 4 of a selecting finger 5 having its straight portion 6 extending perpendicular to the bar.

In switches in which this bar may be used the selecting fingers have to be positioned with considerable accuracy and the construction as shown in these two figures makes it possible to adjust these fingers to permanently locate them in their proper position by bending the prong 2 in two directions with respect to the bar. That is, the free end of the prong may be bent, if reference is made to Fig. 1, towards or away from the bar to locate the finger in its correct position horizontally and may be twisted sideways in either di- 40 rection in relation to the bar to locate the finger accurately in its vertical position.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of a modified form of applicants invention the prong 2 is at its base where it is connected to the bottom portion of the U- shaped bar slightly narrowed down as shown at In and the prong itself has been bent inwardly between the two sides of the U-shaped bar but is parallel with the bottom portion. The cut-out portion of the bar is also extended to include part 50 of the sides of the bar as shown at II and 12 to facilitate the adjusting of the prong in its proper position and the prong is located inside the outer surface of the bottom portion of the bar so that it may be protected from accidental disturbance after having been once adjusted in its permanent position.

Figs. 5 and 6 show another form of the applicants invention in which instead of a prong 2 a semicircular cut-out has been made in the bottom portion of the bar so as to form a centrally located knob M with a shank l5 connecting the knob with the bottom side of the bar. On this knob 14 is connected the usual rivet on which the selecting finger is secured. The adjusting of the finger in this case. may be done by bending the knob l4 inwardly, outwardly or sideways in either direction to adjust the finger and with the bending taking place in the shank I5.

The perspective shown in Fig. 7 illustrates how the bar may be used in a switch of the type disclosed in the Patent 2,021,329 to J. N. Reynolds of Nov. 19, 1935. This perspective shows a portion of a horizontal bar I constructed in accordance with applicants invention as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. This Fig. 7 also shows a portion of a vertical bar 2|] and parts of corresponding horizontal contact strips 2| and vertical contact strips 22. It should be noted that two horizontal strip groups are shown which may be connected to the vertical contact strips 22 by the movement of the bar I in either direction. If, for example, a connection is desired with the upper set of horizontal strips and the vertical strips the horizontal bar will be operated in a counter-clockwise direction by the energization of magnet 24. This will place the selecting finger 6 of bar I in the position in front of a special spring 26 and the upper set of horizontal strips across the U-shaped portion 21 of spring 26. When now the vertical bar is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction by the energization of magnet 30 it causes the member 3| connected to the bar 20 to press the selecting finger 6 against the spring 26 and this spring in turn causes, through suitable insulating studs, not shown, the upper set of horizontal strips 2| to make contact with corresponding vertical strips 22. The vertical bar when operated will maintain the selecting finger in engaged position. The horizontal bars may now be returned to normal for use in other connections and the remaining selecting fingers on the horizontal bar will be placed in a neutral position. If the horizontal bar has been moved to the opposite direction the lower set of horizontal strips would have been actuated to make contact respectively with the vertical strips.

While this invention has been illustrated in connection with but a single form of switch it should be understood that the features thereof could readily be applied to other forms of switch structures without departing from the spirit thereof and that the present disclosures should only be considered as illustrative of certain embodiments of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A bar having portions thereof cut away at given intervals to form a plurality of elements integral with said bar, and contact operating members secured to said elements.

2. A bar having integral prongs capable 01 permanent adjustment in two directions with respect to said bar, and a contact operating member secured to each of said prongs.

3. A bar having portions thereof cut away to form rectangular prongs extending along the axis of said bar, and a contact operating member secured to the free end of each of said prongs.

4. A U-shaped bar having parts of the bottom portion thereof cut away to form elements capable of being permanently adjusted in two directions with respect to the bar, and a contact operating member secured to each of said elements.

5. A U-shaped bar for automatic switches having prongs cut out in the bottom portion thereof, a stud mounted on each prong, and a contact operating member mounted on each prong.

6. A U-shaped bar for automatic switches having rectangularly shaped prongs cut out in the bottom portion of said bar, said prongs being located at fixed intervals and extending in their longitudinal directions in line with the axis of said bar, a stud mounted on each prong at the. free end thereof, and a contact selecting finger mounted on each stud.

DANIEL H. GLEASON. FREDERIC J. REDMOND. 

